Bee-hive



(No Mode1.) a sneetsfsneez 1,

F.. E. MERRIMAN.

I BEE HIVE. i x No. 413,239. 'PatentedrOoL 2,2, 1889.

N. PETERS. mammography, wmnm. 5.a

(No Model.) 8 Sheets-#Sheetl 2.

F. B. MERRIMAN-- BEE HIVE.

No. 413,239. k Patented-oct. v22, 1889.

WITJWESSE;y NVEN-TOR,

A useful improvements in bee-hives; and it conembodying my improvements.

' UNITED STATES I r PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS E. MERRIMAN, OF BSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BEE-

HNE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 413,239, dated October 22, 1889.

Application filed April 3, 1889i To a/ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS E. MERRIMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts', have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bee-Hives; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. Y

Figure l is a perspective view of a bee-hive Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line :c of

Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail of the'removable and reversible bridge on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the removable and reversible alighting-shelf detached. Figs. 6 and 7 are details to be referred to. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view ofthe hive. Fig. 9 is a front` view of the comb-frames in the brood-chamber, showing the honey-rack separated therefrom to form the bee-space t.

My invention relates to certain new and sists in the construction and combinations of devices which I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the 'outer casing of the hive, constructed of any suitable material and design and comprising, preferably, two sections or stories A A, and Al is the top or cover, the said section A being suitably placed or mounted upon the base B, provision, however, being made at a, between the lower section and' base, for the entrance of bees to the brood-chamber inthe usual manner. The section A is placed upon the top of the lower section A', being` sustained in place by ledges b of the said section, the ledge at the front portion of the lower section A being cut away at c and d, for purposes which ,I shall hereinafter fully indicate. The section A contains the removable honey sections, which are surrounded by a suitable honey-rack 3, having the usual bee-spaces 5, and the said Vsection A is supported upon the upper projecting ends of some of the comb-frames in the broodchamber, so as to leave abee-space tbetween Serial No. 305,842. (No model.)

the said honey-rack and comb-frames' in the brood-chamber for the passage of the bees, a space being also provided between the combframes in the brood-chamber and honey-rack and inner walls of the casing, which is filled with chaff or other packing, so that the hive will winter bees out of doors.

In the construction of many hives in use at the present time a single opening' or entrance is provided at the base, and this opening is the only means by which or through which the bees enter and leave the hive. By so constructing the hive it is obvious the workingbees in both entering and leaving the hive have to traverse the brood-chamber before they can enter the honey-sections, and are again compelled to pass through the said brood-chamber before they can again reach the op'en air. As the brood-chamber is.gene'rally full of young bees and nurse-bees, which cluster over the broodcomb in great numbers, filling the spaces between the combs in the brood-chamber, it is evident the pashoney-sections is greatly retarded and much damage may be done to the constantly-hatch` ing bees.

To overcome the objections to such constructions, I Vmake another entrance for the working-bees at the second story, or, in other words, at a place which is about in line with the horizontal space between the upper bars of the comb-frames of thebrood-chamber and the bottom of the honey-rack. This entrance or opening is.. shown in Figs. l and 2 at e, and corresponds with and forms' a part of the cutaway portion c in the frontledge d, previously mentioned; and to prevent the bees escaping into the vertical space between the broodchamber and sections and inner walls of the casing I- place in front of the top of the broodchamber a bridge D,which spans the vertical frames in the brood-chamber and between the front of said comb-frames and the inner front wall of the casing, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the said bridge being supported in position between the front of the comb-frames inthe brood-chamber and inner face of the front ledge b of the section A by short transverse space between the inner side walls of the combroo cleats or arms f at each end, which rest upon the top of the comb-frames in the brood-chamber and in the cut-away portions d of the ledge b, as shown in Fig. 3. The bridge is formed With a passage 6 which is in direct alignment with the adjacent entrance e and the horizontal space between the honey-rack carrying the honey-sections and comb-frames in the brood-chamber, and extends nearly or quite the full length of the bridge. The passage in the bridge communicates at its front central portion with the entrance e; but the rear of the passage is closed by the front partof the comb-frames in the brood-chamber, eX-

' cept th at portion h which is formed by cutting awaythe upper ends of some of the said combframes near each end of the bridge, so that the bees entering the hive through the opening e pass into the bridge toward the end portions vh, which lead directlyint-o the bee-space between the honey-racks and comb-frames in the brood-chamber. This construction enables the bridge to be placed in position without difficulty, makes the bridge removable and reversible, because either end may be slipped into position without any fitting or adjustment, and, by reason of its relation with the other parts just mentioned, prevents loss of warmth of the bees and the injurious effects of direct drafts into the space, and also prevents the packing or chaff from getting into the brood-chamber and honey-sections.

To further facilitate the entrance and departure of the working-bees, l secure to the front of the section A of the casing an alighting-board E, the top surface of which is slightly below the entrance e, so as to be readily accessible to the bees in their ingress and egress. This alighting-board is reversible and removable, being provided with the back piece or ledge E,and with headed pins l, which enter elongated slots in the front of the section A, whereby it is removably supported in position, and the said slots have enlarged portions which receive the heads of the pins, after which the shanks of said pins are forced into the contracted portions of the slots and the alighting-board securely and detachably held in position. The piece or ledge E at the rear under side of the shelf or alighting-board E, where the latter is reversed, as shown by dotted lines in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, closes the entrance e to the hive, which is desirable when robber-bees attack the hive or during a cold and driving storm.

As previouslydescribed, this hive contains preferably two sections and a cover or top, the rst story or section A containing and having its top about flush with the upper surface of the horizontal bars of the combframes in the broodchamber, the second story A containing the honey-sections, and A is the cover, having an opening m for Ventilating t-he space between the outer case and the internal structure.

In winter the alighting-board may be removed, also the honey-rack and honey-sections and bridge, and the opening or entrance e may be closed,when desired, by a block or piece n (see Fig. 7) fitting it snugly and secured in place by a pin or equivalent means. The bridge and honey-sections being thus removed, the entrance -to the bee` space t is closed by ahoney-board or cover L, (see Fig. 6,) which is fitted on top of Vthe comb-frames in brood-chamber, and provided with cleats r, which fully closes the cut-away portions h when the board is placed in position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'-- 1. The colnbination, With a hive having an entrance or aperture leading to its interior, of a removable and reversible alighting-board having a back piece E', provided withfsecuring devices, substantially as described, said back piece being of a width sufficient to close the inlet-opening when the alighting-board is reversed, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination, with a hive having an entrance cropening leadingto its interior and provided with slots in its front wall, of a re- Y movable and reversible alighting-board having a back piece provided with headed pins or bolts adapt-ed to engage said slots, said back piece being sufficiently wide to close the said entrance or opening when the alightingboard is reversed, substantially as herein set forth.

3. Ahive havinga brood-chamber, ahoneyrack having honey-sections, and slightly elevated above the comb-frames in the broodchamber to YformV the Ybee space or passage t, and an exterior casing having an opening or passage leading to the bee-space t, in combination with a removable and reversible bridge interposed between the spacet and the entrance, and having a passage in communication with said bee-space and entrance, substantially as herein described.

4L. The combination, with a hive having a brood-chamber and a honey-rack, said broodchamber having some of its central combframes extended, whereby the honey-rack and comb-frames of the brood-chamber are separated from each other to form the bee space or passage t, and an exterior casing having an entrance in alignment with the bee space or passage between the honey-rack and combframes in the brood-chamber, of a bridge spanning the vertical space between the inner wall of the casing and the front of the comb-frames in the brood-chamber, and having a passage communicating at its central portion with the entrance-opening and at its end portions with the bee space or passage, substantially as and for the purpose described.

- 5. An improved bee-hive comprising abase, the casing formed of the sections A and A, and Ventilating top or cover A the broodchamber in the section A', the honey-rack in the section A, and separated from the combframes in the brood-chamber by the horizon- IOO IIO

tal bee space or passage .25, anV entrance or ing, substantially as andfor the purpose de-io opening between the sections A and Afand scribed. in alignment with the bee-space t, a remov- In testimony WhereofI affix my signature in j aigle and reversibile bridge between the front presence of two Witnesses.

5 o the bee-space and the entrance, and having a passage communicating with both, and FRANCIS MERRIMAN a :removable and reversible alighting-board Witnesses: exterior of the hive, and detachably secured S. M. MINASIAN, to the casing just below the entrance-open- FRED J. LAPENOTIERE. 

